Rare Blue Crawfish Spotted in Louisiana

This beautiful and mind-boggling type of crustacean made an unexpected appearance in Louisiana.

As he was cleaning a full net of crawfish from the water during a recent hunt, Dennis Bonnet of Waggaman, La. saw something he couldn’t quite believe. Inside the full bag, standing out from all the other common red mudbugs, was one florescent blue crawfish.

“I purge crawfish half a sack at a time until the water is clear, almost drinkable,” Bonnet told NOLA.com. “And while I was purging them, I saw this one. It was so blue. It really stood out.”

According to the Audubon Institute, about one in every 10,000 crawfish turn blue. The reason for the change in color is likely the result of many factors, including diet, their environment and amount of light the crustacean is exposed to.

Cathy Bonnet, the man’s wife, recalled hearing about the blue crawfish phenomenon from a trip to the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans. During the family crawfish boil that day, the entire Bonnet family marveled at the rare sight. Although rare, it is still completely safe and normal to eat blue crawfish. Still, the Bonnet family opted to pass the crawfish around and marvel at its uniqueness.

Although a family member ended up eventually getting pinched by the crawfish while they examined the creature, the rare moment seemed to be worth it for the family.